Prison design has long been controversial. During the 19th century, when wide-scale prison construction began in the western United States, prisons were criticized for providing a better quality of life to their wards than was available to some law-abiding citizens. Conversely, in recent times human rights groups have sought to improve prison conditions worldwide by criticizing the quality of the facilities themselves.

SCREENS TO INFINITY

In the 1950s, Austrian-born sculptor Erwin Hauer designed and built architectural screens and walls whose complex and intriguing geometry attracted much admiration at the time. But they have been largely forgotten, and some have even been destroyed. Here are his thoughts on one example of this extraordinary work. — Editor